Master Naturalists share knowledge of Missouri's rich outdoor world

Jan. 3, 2013

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Wes

JOHNSON

Master Naturalist Janet Haworth displays a bison skull, a key element of the 'bison trunk' that she and husband Carl use to explain the history of bison in Missouri and the central plains. / Wes Johnson/News-Leader

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A buffalo’s tail is like a mood barometer, Carl Haworth says.

If it’s pointing down, the beast is calm. But if the tail is up, watch out.

“If it gets to this position — up — you’d better be gone, unless you can run faster than 35 mph or can jump 6 feet,” he said.

Using a real bison tail as a prop, it’s one of the odd facts that Haworth conveys to youngsters, many of whom know more about computers and video games than the outdoor world.

Haworth and wife Janet are Missouri Master Naturalists and members of the Springfield Plateau Naturalist chapter, one of 12 such groups in the state. They enjoy sharing their deep knowledge of Missouri wildlife, history and traditions to help young people understand their role in conserving Missouri’s rich natural resources.

But how to engage modern kids?

For that, the Haworths borrow a “bison trunk” from the Missouri Department of Conservation that’s filled with preserved parts and pieces of a real buffalo — and which youngsters get to see up close and feel with their own hands.

Janet hefts the massive bison skull, its bone gleaming white beneath classroom lights. She points out the delicate folded bones in the bison’s nasal cavity that give the beast its incredible sense of smell. Later, she shows a dried bison bladder that Native Americans fashioned into a portable sewing kit, complete with porcupine quills. Heavy black bison horns could be soaked in water and molded into smooth, round eating bowls.

She reaches for a thick mass of bison sinew — tough tissue that connected muscle to bone and tendon — and tells how Native Americans used the natural fiber as incredibly strong thread.

“I’ll ask some of the bigger kids if they think they can break it with their hands,” Janet said. “They’ll try, but it’s so strong they can’t do it.”

To convey the point that Native Americans wasted little of the bison they killed, the artifacts include a large, yellow bison stomach that was used to cook food.

“They didn’t have cooking pots like we do today,” Carl notes. “Instead, they would use the bison’s stomach, heat rocks in a fire and put them inside, with some water, meat and herbs they had on the prairie. It would make a kind of stew.

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“After one or two weeks of repeated cooking, they’d then eat the stomach.”

Among the artifacts are historically accurate hunting arrows tipped with bone points and an atlatl throwing spear Carl made from the same kinds of natural materials that Missouri tribes used.

Many of the stone points found in Missouri came not from arrows but from the more primitive — yet more powerful — atlatl, Carl says.

“As we talk to the kids, if we start to lose their attention you can always get it back by talking about poop — dried bison poop — which we have in the trunk,” Carl said. “The guys think it’s great; the girls, it’s ‘ewww.’”

Jennifer Ailor, recent president of the Springfield Master Naturalist chapter, said there are several other traveling “trunks” that Master Naturalists can use to help teach about the natural world.

“The purpose of Master Naturalists is to engage the public about the value and importance of our natural world and our natural resources in the state of Missouri,” Ailor said.

“We want to teach people to conserve and protect our environment and wisely use the natural resources we have.”

She agreed that for many Missourians there’s a disconnect between modern life and the outdoors.

“It is very true,” Ailor said. “Even in Springfield there are kids who have no idea where their food is grown. They’ve never been on a hike. They’ve never seen a wild animal. A lot of our focus is on children, to introduce them to the wonders of nature.”

A partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri Extension, Master Naturalists have 12 chapters across the state.

Master Naturalists receive a minimum of 40 hours of training and several hours of field trips, typically over a 12-month period.

Much like Scouting organizations, Master Naturalists can earn pins indicating a new field of educational experience.

“We are not experts on everything, but we do know quite a bit more than the general public about the outdoor world,” Ailor said. “Some in our group are actually citizen scientists. For example, we have some who are experts in lichens that grow in Missouri. We know how stretched the MDC and Extension budgets are. Master Naturalists provide a lot of volunteer hours that help.”

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Although much of their effort is aimed at youngsters, Ailor said she hopes to expand the mission of the Springfield Master Naturalist program this year, reaching out to adults who also might like to learn about Missouri’s natural history.

A new Master Naturalist training class is being planned this year.

Carl Haworth said the training he received was well worth his time.

“I thought I knew some things about trees, plants and animals,” he said. “But I found out I didn’t really know so much after all.”
Master Naturalist Carl Haworth explains the importance of connecting to the outdoor world in a video with this story.
• More information about the Missouri Master Naturalist program is available on the Web at http://extension.missouri.edu/masternaturalist/.
• The Springfield Plateau Master Naturalist chapter is planning a new training class in the fall, from Sept. 8 through Oct. 27. Cost is $100, with classes meeting 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursdays in Springfield, and four Saturday field sessions. For more
information about the class, contact Jay Barber, Missouri
Department of Conservation, at 417-895-6881 ext. 269, jay.barber@mdc.mo.gov, or Patrick Byers, MU Extension, byerspl@missouri.edu.